Sacraficial Lamb
by kst1233
Summary: When several young girls and infants are found murdered, Tara goes it alone to find out why. Steed is worried that she will end up like the victims they have found, but Tara is willing to put her own life and sanity on the line to prevent any more deaths
1. Chapter 1

Steed parked his car in front of Tara's apartment, his self-loathing intensifying as he looked up towards her open window and saw her shadowed figure pacing restlessly in front of it. Why was he doing this? Why was he allowing her to do this? He wasn't going to. He was going to talk her out of this. There had to be another way. They had a few hours yet. Just a few more hours to think of any other way but this. He would not allow her to become some sort of sacrificial lamb. 

"Tara, we need to talk." Steed said firmly as he came through her door. Tara looked up at him and sighed. She knew what he wanted to talk about. They had already gone over this, argued about this very same thing for the past two days.

"Steed, please. Let's not go over this again. I'm ready for it. I have to do this."

"No one could be ready for what Mother has asked of you. Now come on. Let's sit here and see if we can't think of another way."

"No one asked this of me. I volunteered. John...there is no other way. I know it and you know it and so does Mother. I have to go John. I...we..have to stop them before anyone else dies." Tara stood close to him now, her hand laying gently on his shoulder. She hoped that by using his given name he would pay a little more attention to what she had to say and would understand what she couldn't say out loud and tried not to think about to herself.

"You do realize what they will do to you?" Steed asked almost sullenly.

"Yes and that's one advantage that I have that no one else has had. The fact that I know and am prepared."

"How can any one be prepared for this? Tara, you're too young, too valuable.." Steed started and then stopped when she shook her head.

"I'm sure Broadneck felt the same about his daughter Steed. She was too young, too valuable to go through the hell she now has to live with the rest of her life. I went to see her. She's closed down. That brilliant, beautiful young girl now just sits and stares out of a window, day in and day out. She's the reason why I volunteered for this. As long as I live, I'll never be able to put that blank face out of my mind, nor the hopeless look of her mother's as she sat and cried next to her."

"But what about your health? You've just started getting well again." Steed said as he looked at the still slightly too thin face. She was starting to gain back some of the weight she had lost, but she was still fighting an up hill battle yet. Tara simply smiled gently and then reached up to kiss his lips softly.

"I'm as fit as I ever was. We have a few hours yet. Let me prove it to you." she whispered almost seductively as she kissed him once again.

"Something to remember you by?" Steed asked wryly.

"No. Something to pick back up on when I return." She deepened the kiss this time and was pleased that he responded.

"For when you get back then." Steed said softly as he led her into her bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Tara cried out softly as she pulled him closer to her, her body tightening with extreme pleasure and then slowly relaxing with her release. Steed groaned as he pressed against her one last time and took her lips with his for a hard, searing kiss before he released her as his own body went limp. He rolled off of her and then pulled her into his arms as they both lay there trying to catch their breath. Tara sat up slightly, propping herself up on one arm. She ran her fingers through his hair with her free hand and then slowly started stroking his face. 

"Thank you." she said bending her head down to lightly brush his lips with hers.

"I think the pleasure was very mutual." Steed smiled up at her. Tara shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. I mean thank you for caring so very much. I'm scared John."

"Then back out. Back out now before it's too late." Steed said, hoping that her fears would be enough to keep her from making a horrible mistake. Tara sat up and looked directly into his eyes. There was no humor in them, no anger, just fear and worry.

"Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Would you back out if it were you?"

"No. I suppose not. You know that if you succeed, you'll go down in the annals of criminal history for this."

"I'm not doing this for any sort of glory Steed." Tara said sharply turning her head away from him. Steed gently forced her to look back at him.

"I know you aren't. I know...I'm sorry..I didn't mean to insult you. I saw Broadneck's daughter too. And I would be doing the same thing as you are going to be doing. My greatest fear is losing you to them. Seeing you end up like her...I.." Steed stopped when Tara kissed his lips once again.

"It won't happen Steed. As I said before, I have the advantage that she and the other's didn't. I know what's going to happen. It's not that I'm scared of. My biggest fear is failure. If I can't stop them, if I end up dead, I will have failed all those women and children who have already died, Mirabelle and the others that have ended up in a similar state, and those who will fall into the same trap. I don't want this happening to anyone else..and those innocent babies...I can't let it happen any more. I have to stop it."

"You won't fail. Mother couldn't have asked a better agent to do this." Steed said after several moments of silence. Tara wanted to say more, if for no other reason then to convince herself that she would come through this unscathed and that no more women or infants would be harmed. But instead of saying another word, she ran her hand across his chest and kissed him softly.

"Make love to me again. I want something pleasant to think about while I'm gone, something to hope for when I return."


	3. Chapter 3

Steed slowly pulled the car to a stop and cut the engine. He turned to Tara who was staring at the grove of trees that she now had to go through. She knew what lay deep inside and she had to repress a shudder of fear. 

"It's not too late." Steed said for the last time. Tara looked at him but said nothing. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. She got out of the car and stopped just in front of it to take off a shoe. She pounded the heel on the ground until it broke off. She then ran her fingernails over the nylon stockings she wore until there were several runs in it as well as a hole around the ankle. Wincing, she dug her nails into her leg until a small trickle of blood ran down it. She stood back up grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared some of it on her face, blouse and skirt along the same side of her injured leg. Before giving one last loving glance to Steed, she grabbed the sleeve of her blouse and tore it. She put the shoe back on and started to limp across the road. Before heading into the trees, she looked back once again and her heart started to race when she saw that he was gone.

"It's not too late." the words, his words, kept running through her mind as she slowly made her way through the trees, watching for the opening she knew would be there. A low whistle startled her and she was almost half tempted to run back, but the face of Mirabelle Broadneck and the picture of a dead infant flooded her mind. She let the tears that had sprung into her eyes fall down her cheeks and onto her torn blouse.

"Help me! Please help me!" she cried out weakly, sobbing openly now as she neared a clearing. Stopping just beyond it, she fell to her knees, crying as if her heart would break.

"Here now young lady. What's this all about?" said a kind, but firm voice from in front of her. Tara looked up at the man who stood before her. He was short, stout, and very rough looking, but there was a gentleness in the blue eyes that Tara latched on to.

"Help me." Tara said, holding out her hand to him.

"Well of course my dear. Come on inside. You look as if you've had a rough day already and it's not yet noon."

"Do you have a phone? I want to call my father."

"I'm sorry lass. Not a phone for miles around here I'm afraid, nor electricity or running water either. We're an old community. Like to keep things simple we do. But not to worry. You can stay here for the night..my woman won't mind..and in the morning we can arrange for you to get back home to your family."

"Oh, is there no way to tell him I'm safe? He'll worry so when my friend arrives without me."

"Where are you from child?"

"London."

"London! That's a fair piece away for such a young girl as yourself to be away from home. But here now. No more talking. You look tired and famished. I'll have my woman come in and fix you up while I go to see to the cows. Then we'll have a nice dinner and you can tell me all about your troubles when I come back."

"Oh, but please...what is your name?"

"Roberts. Harry Roberts. And what is yours."

"Steed. Tara Steed."

"Tara..that is an unusual name."

"Yes." Tara did not elaborate, nor did she let the lie she told about her name show in her eyes or face. She continued to look frightened, injured, and tired.

"All right Miss Steed. I'll be back soon. Then we'll see what can be done for you. Who knows? Maybe you'll like this place so much you won't want to leave." Roberts chuckled as he left the sitting room he had led Tara in to. Listening intently, Tara could hear voices coming from just the other side of the door Roberts had gone through and closed firmly behind him. Getting up quietly and slowly, Tara got as close to the door as she could so she could listen in.

"She's a good candidate. Perfect build, perfect bone structure. Not sure I like the eye color though. Pale green, but that could be off set." she heard Roberts say, the kindly old voice gone. He now sounded much more matter of fact.

"Skin tone?" A woman's voice this time.

"Peaches and cream. Slight faint freckles over her nose and cheeks. Pretty girl."

"Well have to see about her intelligence and stamina as well as her body strength. Pretty is only a very small part of the criteria."

"Yes. We'll have to be careful with this one though. We don't want another accident like the Broadneck girl."

"She won't be talking now though, will she? Besides, I have no intention of letting this one get away."

"So when do we start?"

"Let's give this one a couple of days. Make her see how nice it is. Let her feel comfortable. You said she looked a little thin?"

"Yes, but healthy. Probably lost weight during the winter months in school. She's a little pale."

"All right. Let's gain her trust then. Go on now and see Miss Langerson. I'll go pretty our new little doll up for her."

Tara hurried back to her seat, once again assuming the pose of a young, nervous girl. A woman came in carrying a tray. As she set it down, Tara saw that it held bandages, a bottle of antiseptic and a damp cloth.

"Hello dear. My man has just been telling me about you. He said you looked as if you'd been hurt. Are you dear?" Her voice too had changed from the matter of fact voice Tara had heard just a few moments ago, to the voice of a kindly old farmer's wife.

"Just my ankle I think." Tara said, pointing down at the scratches she herself had put there, hoping they didn't look too much like fingernail marks.

"Oh dear. Well that doesn't look too bad. But we should clean it up anyway to avoid infection. How did you get those?"

"I fell in some brush when my heel broke."

"Do you mind me asking what you are doing way out here? My man says you are from London."

"Yes...we weren't supposed to come out this far...I was with a friend...a male friend...we were supposed to just go for a drive...but then he tricked me...he parked the car a few miles from here...and he tried to...tried to.." Tara stopped as she hid her face in her hands and started to sob once again.

"There now dear...it's all right. Did he hurt you dear?" Mrs. Roberts put a comforting arm around Tara's shoulder.

"Yes...he...he..."

"All right. Say no more. You are safe here. We'll notify the police of his whereabouts so that he can't ever hurt you again."

"Oh no! Please! He'll come back for me if he finds out! He'll hurt my father. Poppy's too old to defend himself."

"Calm down child. We won't tell anyone then. After he hurt you, what happened next?"

"I screamed and started hitting him until he let go of me. He threw me out of the car and drove off. I hid in the woods until day break. Oh please..I have to find a way to tell my father I'm all right. I've been gone all night. He'll be so worried."

"Don't worry child. When Harry comes back, you can tell him your father's name and address. He'll go over to the post office and send off a telegram."

"Isn't there a train or bus or taxi nearb? I could walk to it and get home tonight."

"No my dear there isn't. We're very secluded here. After you've rested up a bit and have had a good meal, I'll show you around the place. In the meantime, while we wait for your father's response, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. In fact, after your horrible ordeal, it might be a good idea for you to stay here a week or two. The peacefulness of this town will do you good and help you forget all your troubles."

"Oh, but I've brought no money with me..I can't stay at a hotel."

"Nonsense my girl. You'll stay right here with us. I must say, my man and I have taken a great liking to you already and would be very pleased to help you and protect you from any harm, just as if you were our own daughter. Now, I'm going to go start dinner. Why don't you head upstairs to the first room on your right. We had a young girl stay with us for a short visit and she left some clothes. They may be a little short, but I'm good with a needle and can make any adjustments if necessary."

"I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for your kindness." Tara said as she looked down to see her leg now neatly bandaged.

"Just be happy and don't leave us too soon child. That's all the repayment we'll ever need."


	4. Chapter 4

"How long?" Steed asked as he paced restlessly in front of Mother. 

"How long for what? Steed stop your damn pacing and sit down! You're making me dizzy!" Mother commanded. With a grunt and a sigh, Steed sat down. Rhonda handed him a large brandy with a look that shot daggers at him.

"This isn't my fault you know. I all but begged her not to take this assignment." Steed retorted to Rhonda's retreating back.

"She's angry at both of us. Thinks she should have been the one to go instead of Tara." Mother said in an aside to Steed.

"No one should have had to go. We could have found another way! And you still haven't answered my question!" Steed said angrily.

"A week. If she doesn't return in a week, we'll storm the place."

"A week?! Tara could be dead by then, or worse!" Steed pictured Mirabelle's blank face and the body of her dead baby and replaced it with Tara's in a similar state. The thought was horrific and he quickly shut it out.

"Don't underestimate her Steed. As she's told all three of us, she knows what she's up against and that gives her great advantage over the others who were taken in against their will." Mother glanced over at Rhonda who started to open her mouth to give off an angry retort, but Mother stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"I know you knew also! And both of you are more then admirable for wanting to do this. I had to make a choice between the two of you. I have every confidence that Tara will return to us unharmed. I have faith in the girl."

"And if she doesn't?" Steed asked quietly, staring into his glass.

"Thinking along those lines will only make us react foolishly Steed. We can't afford to do so. If we go storming in now, Tara could very well end up dead and she will have died in vain."

"So we wait." Steed said looking now into Mother's face.

"So we wait. She's exactly the type of girl they were looking for Steed. When she returns to report to us, we'll have more then enough evidence to have them all arrested."

"If she returns."

"When she returns." Mother corrected.

"I don't think we should wait a week."

"I do. Give her time to collect the evidence we need for conviction. None of the victims that have returned are able to give us enough evidence. The others are dead. We need more information."

"We're asking a hell of a lot from any woman to go through what we know she's going to have to suffer to get that evidence. And what about the long term effects this could have on her? She's still so young. This could ruin her whole life."

"Tara has a good head on her shoulders. She wouldn't allow this to ruin her life."

"She will if they succeed in.."

"They won't. Tara has assured me that she had taken every precaution to ensure that they don't."

"If she doesn't return in one week then, with or without your permission, I'm going after her."

"You and every agent I can find Steed."


	5. Chapter 5

Tara looked around the room she had been directed to. It reminded her a great deal of the room she had had as a child. A canopy bed stood in one corner, the coverlet and hangings all in the same pink flowery pattern as the light curtains that covered the two windows, one facing east and the other north. From the east window she could see open farm land dotted lightly with houses and out buildings. To the north, nothing but trees which she knew also surrounded the south and western part of the land. This was definitely a secluded area and it wasn't going to be easy to get away, though the trees would provide her some cover especially at night. Tara tried one of the windows and wasn't the least surprised to find it nailed shut. She didn't waste her time trying the other one. She walked over to the closet and opened the door. Inside were several light cotton dresses. She noted that there were no coats or sweaters in the closet, nor in the bureau drawer which she examined next. It would be too cold at night for her to escape only wearing one of the dresses that she had found. She would have to find away to procure a coat during her long walks at night in order to protect herself from the elements Well she had a week to do so. Pulling out one of the dresses, Tara went over to the bed and sat down on it. She started to undress when the low whistle she had heard during her walk to the house seemed to come from under it. Clutching her unbuttoned blouse closed, she got down on her knees and peered underneath it. Not able to see anything, Tara cautiously ran her hand over the carpeting. Still finding nothing, she gave up, thinking now that she must have imagined the sound. Still, the quiet room with it's locked windows gave her chills, so she quickly undressed and then redressed, not wanting to stay too long in there by herself. After she cleaned herself up a bit and combed her hair, Tara headed back down the stairs. 

"Well now. That dress doesn't look too bad on you. Not quite what your used to I'm sure, but it will do for awhile." said Mrs. Roberts as she watched Tara descend.

"It's very pretty, but a little thin. Is there something I can put on over it? I'm a little chilled." Tara said as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"Come in to the kitchen where it's warmer. I'll light a fire this evening in the living room and there is a small portable coal stove in your room that we will light when you go to bed."

"I don't remember seeing a stove." Tara said as they made their way in to the kitchen.

"Oh, you haven't seen your room yet. I only sent you up to that room because I knew there were clothes in it for you to change into."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll have to remove my things from the other bedroom then."

"Don't worry about it. We never use that room any more only because of the whistling sound that comes from the winds when they blow around the house. No one can sleep peacefully in there."

Tara looked over at her in surprise. The whistling sound she had heard earlier had not been caused by the wind, but then again, there wouldn't have been anyway that Mrs. Roberts could have known about the sound Tara had heard.

"Ah Miss Steed. You look better then you did an hour ago. I have good news and bad I'm afraid. The good news is that once you give me your father's name and address, we'll be able to send off a telegram to him to let him know you are safe. The bad news is that we won't be able to get you back home before the end of the week. We are in for some heavy rains tonight and tomorrow and they tend to wash out the roads, making them impossible for travel." Mr. Roberts said as he came in through the door. He sat down and indicated with a wave of his hand that Tara should sit down next to him. Reluctantly, Tara did, showing her fear of sitting so close to him.

"I know you are disappointed child, but it's only for a few days. In the meantime you can feel free to roam about the place. I think you'll come to like it in time. Why what's the matter child?" Mr. Robert's had reached out to grasp her hand, but Tara quickly pulled it away from him as she started to cry. He looked up at his wife in total bewilderment while Tara hid her face in her hands once again. Quickly Mrs. Roberts whispered something to him and then reached over and patted Tara's shoulder.

"She's just tired and a little frightened of being so far away from home, I'm sure. A little food and a good night's rest will do her wonders. Isn't that right my dear?" Tara nodded from behind her hands, hoping that the lack of tears wouldn't make them suspicious

"Haven't you ever been away from home before?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"Yes, but I'm worried about my father. He's been ill and is very fragile."

"Is there anyone else we can attempt to contact that could check up on him for you?"

"Yes. Oh yes! Rhonda! She's a friend of mine. She'll go check on him for me and send me word about him!" Tara rubbed her eyes to make them appear red and hoped that they wouldn't notice that her face was dry, before she lifted her head with a look of relief on her face.

"Very well then. I will send off two telegraphs and we will wait for a response. Now have some dinner and then we'll go take a walk, you and I to the telegraph office."

After dinner, Tara and Mr. Roberts headed off. The mid day air was warm and bright, but Tara could see clouds forming off to the east. In a few hours they would definitely bring rain to the area, but how much and for how long was anyone's guess. Tara listened intently as Mr. Roberts pointed out various buildings to her.

"Over there is the school. It's closed this week because they have to repair the roof. It was blown to pieces during the last storm we had a week or so ago" Tara looked over the long brick building and saw several men standing idly around it, watching her and Mr. Roberts pass by. She didn't question why they weren't working. She knew that they were watching her, judging her as she passed by them.

"Over there is the hospital. It's small, but it serves the community well." Again, Tara noticed several men standing around, all dressed in white coats and again they watched as Tara and Roberts passed by. She glanced up at one of the windows and saw to her horror a woman standing there, her face pressed against the glass and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Quickly, two people grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the window while a third person shut the curtains firmly. Tara looked away, her mind filled with the fact that the woman had appeared to be very pregnant.

"Miss Steed? Are you all right?" Mr. Roberts' voice penetrated her thoughts.

"Uhm yes..I'm all right. I'm sorry. I was just thinking about Poppy." Tara said as she pushed the thoughts of the woman behind her. There was nothing she could do for her. Not yet anyway.

"Well, worry no longer my dear. Here is the telegraph office. In a few minutes your messages will be sent and we should hear back by tomorrow." Roberts said as he led her into a small brick building.

Feigning exhaustion, Tara excused herself to go off to bed after supper. The Roberts appeared to think that this was a good idea and didn't stop her from leaving the table.

"Your bedroom is the very last one at the end of the hall dear. Sleep well. Oh, and Miss Steed. I took the liberty of removing your things from the front bedroom. I threw away the blouse you were wearing. It's irreparable I'm afraid."

"That's all right. Thank you both for everything. Good night." Tara said. With a last look at the both of them sitting there sipping their coffee, Tara went up to her room. She opened the door quietly and quickly shut it behind her. Ignoring her surroundings for the moment she paced the floor thinking about everything she had seen that day. Her first thoughts ran towards the woman in the window. How much time did she have? Not much probably. She looked as if her baby were due any minute and since she was already in the hospital..Tara would have no chance of getting in there in time. She hid her face in her hands, this time the tears that flowed down her cheeks were real. After a minute, Tara angrily dashed the tears away. She could not spend her time crying over this. All she could do at this moment was hope that the infant's life would be spared.

"Think, think, think. What else was so unusual?" she chastised herself as she continued to pace. Well there was the seemingly lack of women and girls around the place. Most of the people she had come across were men. She had seen four women at the telegraphers office, each, like her, were accompanied by men who all knew each other. The women eyed each other warily, looking at first hopeful and then frightened. Out of the corner of her eye, Tara saw one woman, barely eighteen, watch Tara intently as she wrote out her telegrams and then listened even more intently as Roberts read them out loud.

"Poppy Steed. Stop. I am well. Stop. Will be home Friday or Saturday. Stop. Love Tara." and then

"Dear Rhonda. Stop. Check on Poppy. Stop. Fetch me Friday or Saturday. Stop. Love to Mother. Stop. Tara."

"There now dear. That sounds about right. Now what is the addresses of the people we are sending these to?"

"John Steed, Esquire, Number 3 Stable Mews. London. The other can simply be addressed to Rhonda at the same place. She stops by there on Mondays regularly. Poppy will give hers to her then."

"Very well." Roberts handed the clerk a couple of notes and the telegrams and with a nod to him and the others, they started to leave, but the girl who had been watching them grabbed Tara's hand.

"Please! Please! Take me with you when you go! I want to leave too. Oh please. I have money. I'll pay you whatever you ask. They'll kill me. They'll kill us all!" the girl sobbed and screamed, tightening her hold on Tara until she left bruises.

"Now Maggie, it's not so bad here is it dear? And I promised you that we'll get you home as soon as we can." said the man who had accompanied the girl. His voice was kind and gentle, and he carefully unwrapped the girls fingers from Tara's hand.

"You must excuse her Miss. She's young and frightened to be so far away from home."

"I...I understand." Tara tried to communicate with her eyes to the girl that everything would be all right, but the girl had fallen to her knees and sobbed in despair. Tara noticed that the girl looked to be about six months pregnant and the other three also looked to be in various stages of pregnancy. Those three didn't cry or even seem to take notice of the weeping girl. They had given up hope of ever being able to return home.

"I have two days if they were telling the truth. How am I going to prevent it though? The women who fought were killed, the women who didn't ended up like those five I saw. Plus I need more information. Who is the head of this and why? What is the reason for putting these women through this? This isn't just a baby selling scheme. There has to be more to it. But what is it? There are no similarities to the women and girls at all except that so far, they all look healthy enough and that all were pregnant. And what about the babies? Why are certain ones killed and others spared? God I'm so tired. I can't think any more tonight."

Drearily Tara stopped her pacing and went over to the bureau drawer. Inside it was a simple cotton nightgown, very thin and skimpy. After putting it on, Tara went over to the gas lamp and turned it off. In the dark, she carefully made her way to the bed which was extremely soft and comfortable. For what the farm house lacked in modern conveniences, it made up for in some comfort and after a few minutes, her exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Friday or Saturday? We need a definite date. Friday may be too soon and Saturday not soon enough." Steed said as he re-read the telegram for the third time. 

"What does yours say?" he asked Rhonda who thrust it at him. Steed read it twice over and handed both over to Mother.

"Maybe you can find a message in there somewhere. I can't. This just isn't like her. She would have given us some type of information if she could." Steed said with just a note of agitation

"And there you said it Steed...if she could. She was probably being watched and couldn't say anything yet. A telegram doesn't give you much room to put in secret messages. Besides, it's only been twenty seven hours. How much information do you think she could get in that time?" Mother said, hiding his own worry and agitation at the lack of information. Rhonda rolled her eyes at both the men and pointed to the words that her telegraph contained. She wanted to yell at both of them for their stupidity in not being able to see the obvious, but she kept silent, knowing that the glares she was shooting at them would have more effect then words.

"Love to Mother. I see nothi...Oh..Fetch me Friday or Saturday...I see. She wants Rhonda there Friday night at midnight. But why then and why Rhonda?" Mother asked in confusion.

"Because Rhonda would be able to get in easier then I would. Tara is planning something for that time and she is going to need help. We'll have to see if we can get more information from her. Rhonda, send off a telegram back to her to let her know you'll be there. Let's see if they'll let Tara reply to it. If not, we go with our original plan to storm the place Friday."

"But the evidence Steed..."

"To hell with the evidence! Tara's life is in danger!"

"As are the lives of at least a dozen women and children Steed. Tara knew this going in. We will not get any thanks from her if we move too soon."

"So we wait until they kill her."

"No we wait until we can provide a safe rescue for her so that she comes out of this alive and well."


	7. Chapter 7

He was using his hands and mouth most effectively, causing her, for the umpteenth time to beg him for release, but he only gave her another seductive smile as he continued his task to keep her just on the edge. 

"Please...oh please...take me...now..." she pleaded, grabbing on to his shoulders tightly, digging her short nails into the skin. With another grin, he stopped his teasing, pulled himself up so that he could take her pleading mouth with his lips and kissed her hard. She twisted her head away so she could breathe and then cried out sharply as he finally started to put an end to the pleasurable torture. Within minutes she was biting his shoulder to keep herself from screaming as her body tightened up and then slowly started to relax. She was almost sobbing as she kissed his face in near gratitude while he found his own release, calling out her name at the very end.

Tara woke up with a start, her body tense with unfulfilment and damp with sweat. She breathed as hard as if the dream she had just experienced had been real. Laying back against the pillows, she caught her breath, trying to remember every detail of that most pleasant dream. Almost every detail was sharp and clear at this point and she smiled as she thought about it, causing pleasurable shivers to wash over her. There was just enough light coming in through the windows, and the nightgown she wore was cut just low enough for her to see the small mark Steed had left on the top of her breast just two days ago. It looked very similar, she was sure, to the marks she had left on him. With a sigh, she pushed the pleasantness of the dream to the back of her mind, hoping that she would come out of this alive so that she could have him help her relive that dream over and over and over again.

After laying there for a few minutes, Tara got up and got dressed. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was only five in the morning. She wondered if she dared to go downstairs and look for any evidence, but decided to wait. If this were truly a working farm, then the Roberts' would probably be up shortly. Tara was going to have to tread lightly for right now, so instead of leaving the room, she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide her best course of action. Without telling Steed, Tara and Mother had decided to give herself a week to find out just exactly was going on and who the head of the whole operation was. Steed would eventually find out of course, but if Mother and Tara didn't hold back that one little piece of information, Steed would only worry and then take matters into his own hands. He had hated the plans they had told him about as it was. Once he found out that she would be there a week, he would be angry. If he found out it was her idea in the first place, he would be livid and impossible to deal with for a month. Add to the fact that without telling Steed or Mother, Tara and Rhonda had made their own plans to meet if they could on Thursday at midnight so that Tara could pass on any information she had. If Tara didn't show up at the designated time and place, Rhonda was to go back and insist that they infiltrate the place, because it would mean that Tara had failed and was probably dead.

Tara smiled at that thought. After the incredible dream she had earlier, she had no intention of dying and before she would have Steed help her with her little fantasy, she would do things for him that would make him forgive her for not filling him in on some of the details.


	8. Chapter 8

Steed walked the edge of the tree lined road where the chain of events had begun this whole frightening matter. He and Tara had been driving along this lonely road, enjoying a day out in the country nearly three weeks ago. It had been Steed's idea to take her out for some fresh air and sunshine, hoping the long drive in the open car would put some color back into her pale cheeks and a short walk afterwards would give her appetite enough to eat a full meal for once when a flat tire threw his plans into the air.

"It won't take me long to fix this. I'll be right back." he had told her after getting out and examining the flat.

"All right. I'm just going to walk around a little if you are sure you don't need my help." Tara said as she got out of the car, her green eyes focusing on the trees off to the side of the road. Steed smiled. He knew how much she loved being amongst them whenever she felt unsettled or upset.

"Enjoy yourself and don't go too far. If you get tired, wait for me. I'll come find you." Steed warned. She still tired easily, but would push herself beyond human endurance if someone, namely him, didn't stop her.

"You worry too much." she smiled sweetly and went off on her short, solitary sojourn. He watched her for a moment so he could see which way she went in case he did have to go after her. Satisfied that he would be able to find her easily, he started working on the car. He had just finished taking off the tire when he heard her scream his name. He stood up fast, pulling his gun out of his pocket and headed towards the spot he had last seen her when she came bursting out of the woods, carrying something he couldn't quite make out, in her arms.

"Oh God Steed! Come quickly. She needs help! She's bleeding badly." Tara cried out when she saw him. She ran to him and as she drew closer, he saw that she was carrying a new born infant in her arms.

"Tara! Calm down...easy now. Let me see her. Maybe it's not as bad as you think." Steed soothed as he reached out to take the baby from her.

"No...not the baby...it's dead...a woman...in here...she's bleeding...Steed...I think it's Broadneck's daughter." Tara panted, trying to calm down, yet still convey the urgency of the situation. She turned back quickly and started heading back the way she had come.

"Mirabelle? Are you sure?" Steed asked in surprise as he followed her into the grove of trees. Mirabelle Broadneck, the daughter of one of their colleagues, had been missing for nearly a year.

"I think so...it's hard to tell. She's covered in blood and her face is badly bruised and swollen. I think this baby is hers. I found it laying next to her."

"And you said she's alive?"

"Yes. I checked her pulse...it's weak..very weak...but it's still there."

"And the baby?"

"She's been dead for a couple of days. Her neck is broken...and look...her arm...it's deformed. Oh Steed! You don't think Mirabelle would have killed her do you?" Tara asked as she looked sadly down at the infant she carried in her arms. It was a tiny little girl, completely naked underneath the blanket Tara had found wrapped around her. Her left arm stopped at the elbow with what appeared to be the beginning formation of a hand at the end of it. Had Mirabelle killed the baby when she saw it's deformity? The look of horror on Tara's face made Steed not want to answer her question. Tara was upset enough as it was. He didn't want to be the one to tell her what he really thought.

"Here...right here..." Tara knelt down beside a young woman...a girl really...just barely nineteen from what Steed could tell as he knelt down on the opposite side of her. As Tara had said, the girl was covered in blood from the waist down. He tore away the lower portion of the nearly shredded dress she wore. The blood looked as if it had come from the girl giving birth. Other then apparent whip marks and bruises, there were no stab wounds or cuts that he could see that would have caused the amount of dried and almost dried blood on her legs. The blood he saw on her face and neck were from a shallow head wound. It was too hard to identify her definitely. Her left eye was swollen shut and her face was covered in bruises. But he was almost a hundred percent sure it was Mirabelle Broadneck. Steed took his coat off and laid it over the girl.

"We'll have to get her to a hospital. There's one about six miles back the way we came. I still have to finish changing that tire yet. We'll have to hurry. I don't think she has much time." Steed said as he picked up the girl in his arms and started to carry her back to his car. He glanced over once at Tara who's face was now completely white.

"Are you all right?" he panted slightly. It wasn't easy carrying the girl and trying to make his way around the trees as quickly as he could.

"I'm all right." was all Tara would say as she looked sadly down at the dead infant in her arms. She really wasn't and she knew Steed could see right through her, but as sick as she felt over her horrific discovery, there was nothing she or he could do other then make sure the girl got medical treatment as fast as possible and pray she would be able to tell them at some point exactly what had happened to her and the baby.

Two days later, Steed was in Tara's flat, trying to reason with her.

"Tara, she's delirious and confused. As horrible as it sounds, the fact is that all the evidence shows that Mirabelle killed her baby. There will be no charges against her. The police think she did it in a moment of madness. She'll be put into an institution where she'll be taken care of." Steed said firmly.

"_What_ evidence John? Tell me what evidence there is to prove she did it. She denies it. She keeps saying over and over that "_they_" killed her baby, that "_they_" hurt her and beat her and raped her, that "_they_" had tried to stop her. Those are whip marks on her back and chest. Are you trying to convince me that she did that to herself? That she beat herself into a bloody pulp, gave birth out in the woods on her own and then in her condition was able to snap that baby's neck cleanly and neatly? How?" Tara retorted angrily. Steed stared at her for a moment. Tara had thought this through very carefully and was looking at things in a completely different light. The police were looking at this as a very isolated, open and shut case. Even the agency, including Broadneck himself hadn't given any second thoughts to the police findings. Mirabelle's ramblings were considered inconsequential when the doctors had confirmed that she didn't know what she was saying.

"Let's go talk to Mother." Steed said, knowing full well that Mother would probably just lightly dismiss Tara's thoughts on the matter. His whole attitude changed when he and Tara walked into Mother's new headquarters, a sort of mini museum of bad art.

"Where have you two been? I've been trying to reach you for over an hour." Mother demanded as Steed and Tara sat down on two chairs that looked as if they had been turned inside out and then laid on their sides. Tara sat down gracefully and easily, but Steed seemed to have trouble keeping his balance as he perched precariously on the edge.

"We were on our way here. You've picked a very out of the way place to set up headquarters Mother." Steed said with a smile.

"It's quiet here. Tara, you look pale. You are still on medical leave. I have an assignment for you, but Rhonda can do it just as well if you don't feel up to it." Mother looked over at Tara who was accepting a glass of wine from Rhonda.

"Mother, I don't think Mirabelle killed her baby." Tara said cutting straight to the chase.

"Neither do I my dear. That's why I was trying to reach you two. Another girl and an infant were found, both dead, laying not ten miles from where Mirabelle was found. The girl was in much the same state as she was. Bruises, whip marks across her chest and back."

"And the baby?" Tara whispered, her face now white.

"Neck was snapped cleanly and neatly. The infant looked as if it were healthy, no deformaties, so there is no pattern there. However, it was a girl." Mother said sadly.

"Oh God." Tara's voice shook with repressed pain and horror. Steed closed his eyes for a moment.

"Has her family been notified?" he asked once he opened them again in the now deathly still silence.

"We haven't been able to identify her yet. Steed, I want you to go around to the neighboring villages and start asking questions. Tara, I want you to start combing newspapers for the past two years. See if there have been any more girls or infants found. Come back here as soon as you have anything. We may be wasting our time on two isolated incidences, but I don't think so any more."

Several hours later, Steed saw Tara pulling her car up behind his in front of the museum building. He waited for her to leave her car, which she did slowly.

"Well?" He asked as he took a large stuffed manila envelope from her.

"Six more. The bodies of three infants, the bodies of two women, and one apparent run away found in the same state as Mirabelle. Oh God Steed. The pictures are horrible." Tara said quietly. She pressed her lips together tightly and looked up at him. He saw she was trying to keep the tears that filled her green eyes from spilling over. He took her into his arms and held her for a few minutes.

"It will be all right Tara." he comforted, but Tara pulled away from his arms and looked up at him, her eyes filled with despair.

"I don't see how. The oldest case is just over two years old, the most recent according to these clippings is eleven months. Each case was treated like Mirabelle's. Little evidence was found, so the police treated these as just scared girls who had committed murder and then suicide, despite the patterns being all exactly the same. Every infant had had it's neck broken. All of them were new borns. Each of the women were within the same age group and all had been found with bruises and whip marks on their bodies. The fourth girl's story was the same as Mirabelle's. She claims she had been raped and tortured and held captive for more then nine months. And again, the police and doctors look at it as the mad ramblings of a frightened and insane girl. I wanted to question her before coming back, but apparently she's escaped from the hospital. She had no identification on her and they were unable to locate any missing persons files fitting her description. Steed, what's even worse is that unlike Mirabelle's baby who had the deformed arm, these infants appeared to be healthy in every way. The only pattern I could find was that they were all girls. Any evidence on these four cases is going to have to have been destroyed over the past two years. We won't find anything now. And I have a feeling that any evidence we might have found in Mirabelle's case has gone missing."

"So you think the police may be covering up something?" Steed asked, realizing what she was getting at.

"Why not? Offer a few people enough money...Did you find out anything?"

"Yes which was nothing. Which tells me the same thing, people were or are being paid to keep quiet." Steed admitted.

Steed checked the area where they had found Mirabelle, very, very carefully. If he could find anything, anything at all that might shed some light on to what exactly was going on, he could convince Mother to infiltrate the village and get Tara the hell out of there before she became another statistic.


	9. Chapter 9

After Tara finished dressing, she took out the skirt she had worn the day before. She felt along the hem line until she reached a long hard object secreted there. With a small pair of nail scissors she had found on the dressing table she cut away the threads until she could reach in and pull out a small pen camera the agency had developed. Unlike it's predecessors, this camera could also be used as a pen. It had been customized strictly for Tara's use on this mission. They had engraved it with the name Tara Steed, so unless someone decided to take it apart, it would probably be assumed that it was nothing more then a pen. After putting the pen in her pocket, she hung up the skirt again and then picked up the broken shoe. She peeled back the black sole and pulled out a small packet wrapped in plastic. Opening it up, she took out a tablet, placed it in her mouth and swallowed. Birth control pills. This was her one amour that they would not be likely to penetrate. Tara had been taking birth control pills for four years and they had not failed her yet. She hoped that if it came down to it, they wouldn't fail her now. She re wrapped the packet and placed it back in the shoe. Ready now, Tara took one last look at herself in the mirror before heading downstairs.

When Tara reached the bottom stair, the inside of the house appeared to be empty of everyone, save herself. Thinking she had a rare opportunity to explore the premises, she went into the kitchen first. The door leading to the outside was open and Tara saw quite a bit of activity going on outside. There was a long black limousine parked right beside the house. Mr. And Mrs. Roberts were standing beside it, talking with a short, slender woman who reminded Tara of a teacher she had once had as a child. She had a sharp, conniving look about her and her eyes darted about as if she were trying to see everything that was going on around her. A very large man, one of the largest Tara had ever seen in her life, stood impatiently next to her. He was dressed in a very expensive suit, but what really caught Tara's eye was the fact that he had a small whip tucked inside the waist of his pants. Pulling the camera from her pocket, Tara focused it first on his face and then snapped a picture, hoping their voices were loud enough to cover the sound of the shutter snapping shut. When no reaction came from the small group, Tara took another picture of the whip and still another one of the woman. Looking beyond them, Tara saw something that made her heart stop. Several girls were being led to the school building. All were dressed much like Tara was, in simple cotton dresses, thin and light for the chilly morning. Each girl was accompanied by a man. None of them looked to be pregnant, or if they were, they were in the earliest stages. There were about seven in all and the man by the limo turned to watch them file past.

"I don't see her." he said gruffly to the woman beside him.

"You will shortly. I suspect she's still asleep. City girl. Not used to rising early in the morning." Mr. Roberts put in.

"Well there had better be no screw ups this time around. Out of the last five, I've only received two that fit my requests." he growled.

"And of the last two, you have only paid half of the total fee." The woman put in angrily.

"I will not pay any more until the last one is born and fits my requests. Do you think uranium is easily gotten? Do you think it is easily smuggled in to this country? We have a deal Miss Langerson. You supply me with women who will in turn supply me with heirs. I pay you in uranium which you sell to other countries who are seeking to build armaments. I am sure you are richly rewarded already. You can wait, as I must, to be paid in full."

And there it was, one of the answers Tara had been looking for. Unfortunately, it was hearsay until she could get proof. It was now Monday morning. She had until Thursday to secure the evidence she needed. If she could get the evidence by tomorrow and make her escape, maybe, just maybe, they could put an end to this by Wednesday at the latest. Besides, this man certainly wasn't the only client. Were all of them paying in uranium? Or was there even more to the story? She needed to talk to one of the girls if she could. Get more pictures too. She needed to find a way. Moving slowly and quietly away from the door and out of the kitchen, Tara went to the front door and quietly left the house and headed for the shelter of the trees.


	10. Chapter 10

After sitting for several minutes, still absently picking up and dropping leaves, Steed decided to leave. He stood up and dropped the last handful of leaves he held on to the ground, looking down quickly as he heard a dull thud against the root of the tree. Bending down he shuffled through the leaves he had just dropped. He saw nothing at first and started to give up when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something glint slightly in the sunlight coming through the canopy of leaves overhead. He brushed away the leaves that covered the object and saw it was a ring. A man's ring, very large and very ornate, almost to the point of being garish. He examined first the large ruby in the center and the smaller diamonds surrounding it. Two of the diamonds were missing. Turning the ring over in his hand, he tried to see if there was an inscription of any kind on the inside. It was hard to see because of the dirt accumulated on it. Taking a jeweler's glass out of his pocket, Steed fixed on to his eye to take a closer look. There were letters there, but he didn't dare clean away the brownish red substance that covered them, because while the outside of the ring was caked with dirt, the inside was caked with blood. Steed pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped the ring in it carefully. He then removed the jeweler's glass and headed off to Mother's.

"GAB 1949" Mother said looking over the notes forensics had handed him.

"George Arthur Brownwell. Imprisoned in 1965 for uranium smuggling, by yours truly." Steed said matter of factly as he read the notes over Mother's shoulder.

"And escaped in 1966. Moved to an island where we can't touch him. Conveniently formed his own little government, protected by none other then the Chinese Government, who refuse to extradite him back to us. Suspected in smuggling uranium to the Russians, Chinese, and Japanese underworlds who will do everything they can to protect him. Certainly he wouldn't be stupid enough to return here." Mother looked up at Steed.

"No, I don't think so. I think he's sent someone else though to act for him or as him to throw us off their trail if we were to stumble on it. If this is the case, and if forensics is correct that the blood on the ring belongs to Mirabelle, then we are facing much bigger problems then we realized."

"So you think the baby selling is more of a cover up for uranium smuggling?"

"No, I think it's all a part of it and if Tara finds out, and she probably will, she's going to be in more trouble then she realized going in."

"We will have to wait for more evidence Steed. The ring means nothing except that Mirabelle was telling the truth in saying someone hurt her. It proves nothing else at all, just raises suspicions." Mother said, guessing correctly that Steed was hinting at moving in now instead of waiting.

"Mother, they are going to rape her, and probably kill her if she raises any type of suspicion at all. She's in there completely alone! We need to at least send someone else in there to help her!" Steed said furiously.

"We have no one else Steed! The few other women who work for us are not in the right age group! Now we've gone over this a hundred times. Don't you trust her to take care of herself?"

"Of course I trust her! She's a very capable, intelligent woman. But she's up against we don't know how many people and we do know what they do to these women who suddenly appear amongst them! Tara is a survivor. She'll only be able to take so much before she starts fighting back. And when she starts, they will kill her. You know it and I know it!"

"They didn't manage to kill Mirabelle Broadneck, and I think Tara is much better equipped then she was. Now don't be angry at her, but Tara herself insisted that we wait until Friday night to give her enough time to get some hard evidence. Of course, we didn't know about the possibility of smuggling either." Mother muttered the last words as if to himself. Both men sat lost in thought. After several minutes of contemplation, Mother looked up to see Rhonda coming over to them with a large bottle of brandy. Before she could reach them, Mother smiled slightly.

"Put that down and get ready. You are going in to help Tara. And both of you had better damn well come back alive and well or you both will be reprimanded severely!"


	11. Chapter 11

Glancing at her watch, Rhonda realized she had less then an hour to go. Steed had offered to drive her to the same destination that he had left Tara at three days earlier, but she refused, letting him know that she wanted a means of escape if something went wrong, or if she had been able to help gather enough evidence to leave early with Tara in tow. But that hadn't been her real reason at all. The plans that Mother and Steed had made for her would throw off the plans she and Tara had made a week ago. If she followed their plans, she would have no opportunity to make contact with Tara to let her know about the changes, thereby putting her life in even more danger then it already was. Besides, if she found Tara hurt or ill, she had every intetion of pulling her out of there, regardless of any amount of evidence still needed.

After methodically going over each item she planned on taking with her and then packing her car, Rhonda settled herself behind the wheel. At exactly 12:30 pm on the dot, she turned the ignition and was on her way.

It was nearly a three hour drive from London to her destination and looking around at the scenery, she was amazed at the detective work Tara had put in to pinpoint the exact location of where the crime scene began. For miles around, every village, every road, every tree, every farm, all looked the same. Even the people looked the same, dressed the same, walked and talked the same. Rhonda had always prided herself on her intelligence, but this only proved to her that Tara had something that she didn't. Her respect for the woman's talents moved up five notches. She was going to have to ask her one day how she did it.

Finding an open space amongst a grove of trees, she pulled her car in far enough to effectively hide it from the road. Now all she had to do was wait for night to fall so she could move in undetected.


	12. Chapter 12

Tara moved as silently as she could through the trees she had taken cover in. She needed to get to the school building without being seen. She wondered how long she had before the Roberts' discovered she was missing. Would they hunt her down and drag her back, or would she be able to convince them that she had merely gone for a walk? They had told her, after all, that she could explore freely, though she had serious doubts about the truth of that. As she got closer to the building, a sudden movement a few feet from her made her heart freeze. She stopped and stood as still as she could, watching out of the corner of her eye for any further movement. Suddenly a girl burst past her. It was the same girl who had begged her to help her. Tara grabbed her by the arm and placed a hand gently over the girl's mouth before she could scream.

"Shh...it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you." Tara whispered in the girl's ear. The girl gave a muffled whimper and Tara could feel the tears from her eyes hitting her hand.

"It's all right...shhh...be very quiet...Were you trying to leave?" Tara asked as she slowly took her hand away so the girl could speak.

"Yes...they're going to kill me and my baby...I just know it..." she sobbed out.

"No...no they aren't...that's why I'm here...to make sure they don't...shhh...easy love...don't cry any more. I'm going to need your help so that I can get all of you out of here safe and sound. Calm down now...it will be all right...I promise." Tara held the girl in her arms for a few minutes, hoping to ease her fears. Once she seemed calmer, Tara pulled her back a little further into the woods so that they couldn't be easily seen or heard. They both sat down on the ground, facing each other. Tara picked up the girl's hand and held it gently in hers.

"Now then..What is your name?"

"Maggie. Maggie Forsythe and no, I'm not related to THE Forsythe's." she smiled wryly through her tears, referring to a very rich, very snooty couple that had been the focus of the press because of their elaborate spending sprees over the past five or six years. Tara laughed.

"Had to bear the brunt of some very bad jokes 'eh? I can appreciate that. My name is Tara. All my life I've heard people say.."

"Ra boom de ay?" Maggie guessed with another smile and a slight laugh of her own.

"Yes."

"You said you came here to help us. Are you with Scotland Yard?"

"No, nothing like that." Tara lied. She didn't want to lie to the girl, but she had no idea how well she would be able to keep quiet. Tara would apologize to her later for the deceit.

"How old are you Maggie?"

"Nineteen."

"And the other girls?"

"The youngest is just seventeen. The oldest is twenty two I think."

"How did you get here?"

"Four of us were kidnapped off the street nearly a year ago. Me, Sarah, Janie, and Diana. We were out shopping and talking when we found ourselves in a bad part of London. We tried to make our way out again when a black limousine pulled up next to us. The driver asked if we were lost and would like a ride home. Diana didn't want to go, but the rest of us thought we'd be safe. It was a limousine after all. Once we got inside, we saw three men and a woman in there. They seemed very nice and started asking us questions about where we lived and who are parents were...things like that...then the questions started getting...well...kind of personal..."

"Personal how?" Tara hated asking, thinking she already knew the answer.

"They asked us if...if we were virgins...if we had ever had...you know...sex...I started to get scared and tried to open the door, but one of the men grabbed me and held a gun to my head...Diana fought...and they...they shot her...right there in the car...they shot her.." Maggie's voice became high pitched with near hysteria. Tara reached over and touched her face.

"Shh...all right...when they brought you here...what happened?" Tara said firmly, hoping to keep Maggie going forward. The girl took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

"They separated us...None of the girls here are allowed to talk to each other. I think they are afraid we'll all try and make a run for it. Anyway, a few days later, all of us, including several girls we didn't know, were taken over to the school. There were a lot of men there...maybe twenty or so...We were shown to the men who looked us over and asked questions. One man kept saying he needed a girl who was about my height but with blond hair. Another man was asking specifically for some one with bright red hair."

"Did any of them say why they were being so specific?"

"No, but I think I know why. All of these men are married to women who can't or won't give them children. They are all excessively rich and are all able to pay for made to order babies. I overheard one man say that the child had to look like his wife so that they would look well together in the family photos."

"So they have sex with the girls, hope to impregnate them, and claim the child as their own when it's born." Tara felt sick at the realization.

"Yes. Adoption or just buying a baby is out of the question because of the risks that the baby won't turn out the way they want." Maggie spoke mater of factly. She had done her research and guess work well.

"And if the baby isn't what they want?"

"They kill it. The so called doctors at the hospital. If the man wants a boy, and it turns out to be a girl, the doctor snaps it's neck. The same goes on if the baby has any deformity."

"Oh dear God. Steady girl. You pretty much guessed this already. You'd better keep it together if you plan on getting through this." Tara thought to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Did you know Mirabelle Broadneck?"

"I knew of her. I think they killed her when she tried to run away with her baby." Maggie's eyes started to fill with tears again.

"They didn't. She's still alive." Tara said bitterly thinking of the promising young girl now sitting in a chair and staring out of a window all day. No longer looking at Maggie, Tara looked up over her head towards the school.

"Where do the men take the girls to.."

"You haven't seen inside the school yet have you? It looks almost like an ordinary school, except that instead of class rooms, there are bedrooms of a sort. Each one decorated to the man's tastes. There is one room filled with whips and ropes that one client particularly likes to use. You can hear the screams coming from the girls he is with." Maggie's voice was now monotone and her face was white.

"The man who used you...did he hurt you?"

"No. No...he was very gentle and kind, but he told me that if the child didn't look like him..he would have to find another girl and that the baby would be put down, as if it were a dog. I think he was trying to scare me into making the child look like him. I don't know if he's just stupid or if he thinks I am in believing that I have any control over what the baby will look like when it's born or if it will be a boy or a girl. I think most of these men are still living under the archaic belief that the woman determines the sex of the child." Maggie said with another wry smile. Young and innocent as the girl appeared to her, Tara could see that she was extremely intelligent.

"Tara, you do know that there is more to this place then a sort of prostitution and baby selling ring?"

"Uranium smuggling. How did you find out about that?" Tara asked with some surprise.

"My father always said that I knew too much for my own good. The first few nights I was here, I kept hearing a whistling sound coming from under my bedroom. I decided to see if I could find out where it was coming from and what was causing it. The man and woman I was staying with kept telling me it was the wind, but I didn't believe them. Anyway, I was able to get down stairs and to the cellar. The sound was actually the ringing of several telephones. They've been fixed to sound like a whistle instead of a ring. Most of the telephones are hooked up to answering devices, but there are a few people down there, taking orders I suppose, and answering questions. I heard one man mention that the cost was either in uranium or for missile parts that could be smuggled in and out of the country. You should know something else. Each of the phones had the name of a country over it...Japan, China, United States, Russia were some of the bigger countries, but the majority had names of countries I had never heard of, such as Moricaa, Lipsley, and Koffa. The man who likes the room with the chains and whips claims he's the leader of Koffa..."

Before Maggie could say anything more, both she and Tara started when they heard voices approaching.

"Maggie, you've been more help then you could ever know and you've just made my job easier by a hundred fold. I know you are scared, and you want to leave, but I need you to stay here and trust me for a just a few more days. No one is going to hurt you without going over my dead body first." Tara said in a rapid whisper as the voices started getting closer.

"All right...I'll...

"Shh...just follow along with what I do okay? Call to them for help. Pretend you are scared." Tara said slumping to the ground and closing her eyes. She waited impatiently for a few seconds before hearing Maggie start to scream.

"Help! Someone help! Please!"

"Maggie? Tara? Where are you?" Tara heard Mr. Robert's voice.

"Trying to run away I'm sure." the voice of the woman Tara had seen earlier rang out.

"I doubt she would call for help if that were the case." said Mr. Roberts.

"Please! Hurry! I think she's sick." Maggie cried out again. Tara felt her hand start to softly stroke her face and hair.

"Miss Steed? What happened Maggie?" Mr. Roberts voice again.

"I don't know...I don't know...I was out looking for Mr. Jesop, when I saw this girl come into the woods. She was walking funny as if she were dizzy or sick. It took me several minutes to find her. When I finally did, she wouldn't wake up. I kept calling for help, but no one came." It took everything Tara had not to smile at the magnificent performance Maggie was giving. Her voice was thick with tears and shaking with fear.

"Probably faking it. Let's see if this doesn't wake her up." This time the voice was that of the large man, who Tara suspected was the one who like the whip and rope room. Sure enough, she heard the crack of the whip against the tree.

"She's not moving. Let's get her to the hospital." Tara felt someone pick her up in their arms.

"Will she be all right?" Maggie asked as they started to walk out of the woods.

"She damn well better be! You told me this stock was healthy!" the man with the whip growled.

"She's a new one. We haven't had time to check her yet. Maggie, go off to Mr. Jesop. He's looking for you at the school."

"I want to make sure she's okay."

"She'll be fine. Go now."

Tara opened her eyes just enough to see Maggie go off towards the school before the rest of them headed off to the hospital. Once she was sure the girl was at a safe distance, Tara gave a small moan and opened her eyes. She wanted to go to the hospital so that she could take pictures, but now was not the time.

"Miss Steed? Stop for a minute. She's waking up." Roberts put her on the ground, supporting her head and back as he helped her to sit up.

"Oh..my head...did it happen again?" Tara asked confusedly as she looked around her at the faces staring down into hers.

"Did what happen again?" The woman asked.

"I...oh...I get dizzy...when I don't...eat on time...or eat enough...low blood sugar. I get confused...don't know where I am. It doesn't happen often...but.."

"Is this a family trait girl?" Whip man, as Tara was starting to think of him, asked with anger barely disguised in his voice.

"No...Oh please...I just need to eat and rest a little." Tara said faintly.

"Very well then. Let's get her back to the house. Maybe by this evening she will be well enough for you to...speak to.." Mr. Roberts nodded significantly at the large man.

"If she's not, there will be hell to pay."


	13. Chapter 13

Rhonda was startled awake by the sound of voices near her car. As quietly as she could, she closed the pin on the wind up alarm clock she had set to wake her up at nine. She hunched down in her seat, not that it would do much good if the people she heard decided to come her way, but she didn't have much choice. They were close enough to hear any movement and judging by the loudness, they would be on her within a second. She had no doubt she could fight off who ever was there, but there was no point in making her presence known at this moment. Listening carefully, she realized that they had stopped where they were and weren't coming any closer. Relaxing a little, she listened in, but what she heard all but made her heart stop with fear.

"How is she?" A man's gruff voice asked with very little concern.

"She'll be fine, though I'm not so sure there was anything really wrong with her to begin with." A woman's voice this time.

"So what are we doing here then? I don't have much time Miss Langerson and I'm growing very impatient. She suits exactly and looks as if she would breed well. Should be able to pop out a half dozen whelps with no trouble."

"Most likely, but there is something about the girl I don't trust. I've sent off Marcus to check her story."

"Where did you send him off to then? He's been gone for hours now and I really don't want to wait much longer."

"London. The girl claimed she was the daughter of a Mr. John Steed. I sent him off to see if the address and the man really...My God! What's wrong with you?" The woman stammered

"Did you say John Steed? Address 3 Stable Mews?" The man gasped out.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"I know of him. My employer is why I'm here instead of him! Mr. Steed is a Ministry Agent! And I can tell you for fact that he has no daughter!" the man started shouting.

"You don't think she's.."

"No I don't think...I know! I don't know who she is, never seen her before. But she is no daughter of John Steed, that is a fact. Well no matter. She'll be dead before Steed can come after her and we shall be long gone."

"Gone where? We've no place to go off in such a short amount of time!"

"Come Miss Langerson. Certainly a smart woman like you has come up with a plan to escape!"

"Well yes, of course we have, but we hadn't planned on taking the girls with us..and certainly not some of the villagers. We'll have to kill them all! It's going to take some time to put all this in to action! What if they are already on their way?"

"They aren't and you have time. If Steed were on his way, he'd be here by...What in blazes is that?!" The man shouted as a sound of someone running came crashing through the woods and brambles.

"Miss Langerson...I found him! And about the girl...her name is Tara King...she's a Ministry agent. Shouldn't be hard to subdue her...she's just recently recovering from a severe illness...still a bit weak yet." A man's voice gasped out.

"How did you find out all that Marcus?" The man's voice asked in amazement. Marcus had never seemed over bright to him and here he was coming up with some very interesting and vital news.

"Broadneck himself. Overheard him talking with Steed. Heard him say that his daughter was still in the same state and had no hope of recovery. Then heard him say that he was grateful to Miss King to want to help, but he was worried about her weak health. Said that he felt horrible that she would put her life on the line just for his daughter."

"What did Steed say?" The man asked, eager for an answer.

"Just that it was Miss King's way to go rushing in where angles feared to tread."

"Hmm...sounds like he doesn't know anything more then about the baby selling and murders. Has no idea then about the uranium. We may be safe for the moment Miss Langerson."

"Then we won't be leaving?"

"Of course we'll be leaving and very soon, but before we do, I want to present Mr. Steed with a little gift."

"A gift? What on earth are you talking about? Agents could be swarming the place any minute now!"

"Haven't I told you already that they would have been here by now?! Miss King was sent here, or came here of her own accord, to get evidence of the murders and baby selling. They need proof before they can convict! The two girls who have managed to escape, no thanks to you and your people, fortunately have not been in any condition to testify. Let me tell you my theories Miss Langerson. Miss King was sent here to get evidence, perhaps even to allow herself to be taken. She gets pictures, talks to a few girls when she can, let's herself be used by one of us, and then makes her escape. She shows up at Steed's door step, bruised, battered, raped, but sound in mind. With her pictures and own testimony, the ministry now has a chance to make it's move. We are all captured and arrested. They hit the jackpot when they find the underground operations you have here. My country, the Chinese, the Americans, the Russians, are all shocked to find out what's been going on. They themselves start swarming in on the people they believe to be a part of this. Scandal hits the rich and famous as it's revealed that many of them were involved. The whole operation is blown apart, giving no one the chance to pick it back up. You are just a small part of the chain Miss Langerson. There are other underground operations such as this one in Australia, Africa, Germany, and many other countries, including the United States. All will fall apart. But we can postpone it, maybe even put a stop to it. Put a wrench in the works so to speak."

"And how do you propose we do that? I'm sure Miss King has had time to gather at least a little evidence by now...how do we know when she was planning on leaving? If it was tonight and she doesn't show up tomorrow..."

"Oh but she will show up tomorrow. Alive and right at Steed's door, in pretty well near the condition he's probably expecting except for one thing..her mind will be gone. You say she's been ill? It won't take much then to drive her insane. A good thrashing with a whip, a few drugs in her system, a beating around the face and head, should all do very nicely. While they wait for her to recover enough to give evidence, we will have notified all your counterparts, giving them time to move locations. We will be doing the same thing."

"And the girls we have now?"

"Those that are due within the next three months will go with us...Their babies are paid for. The rest, as well as the villagers, will be gathered up and put into the school."

"Certainly they can escape from the school! It's not exactly a secure building."

"They can't escape if it's set on fire around the perimeter and roof of the building Miss Langerson. Now, why doesn't someone give Miss King a good meal and pretty her up for me. I'll meet her over at my favorite room. Pity that it has to go up in flames."

Rhonda sat back up as she heard the voices and then footsteps fade quickly away. She waited several minutes, hoping she wasn't wasting precious time, but not daring to move too soon. Their plans were already blown apart, all of them. There were no more choices.


	14. Chapter 14

"Very well then, get back here and...What do you mean you aren't coming back yet?! Well of course she's in danger! She's been in danger since this whole bloody mess began! Just come back and...Rhonda? Hello?...Hello?! Damn!" Mother bellowed as he hung up the phone.

"What? Has something gone wrong? Is Tara all right?" Steed asked in a rush, not liking the mixed look of anger and worry on Mother's face.

"Basil! Get in here boy! Now!" Mother evaded the question by summoning his nephew who was in the other room playing a solitary game of ping pong.

"Yes Uncl...I mean Mother." The man hurried in, ping pong paddle in hand.

"Get Grandma and Father on the phone. Tell them we have to go with plan S now. We have no choice. They have discovered who Tara really is and are planning on moving out as soon as possible." Mother chewed his lip, looking deliberately away from Steed who's face was now hardening with anger. Out of the corner of his eye, Mother saw Steed's hand reach into his pocket to check his gun.

"Oh, you mean Tara King? I really liked helping her at that hotel. Great fun that was. She's really a lovely girl. Very bright too!" Basil beamed.

"Stop babbling and start phoning!" Mother commanded.

"Yes Un..Mother." Basil went to the other side of Steed and picked up a red phone.

"Basil.." Mother said softly and dangerously.

"Yes Mother?"

"Not the red one. The blue one. Take it from Steed."

Basil looked over to see Steed holding out a blue phone to him.

"How _do_ you keep them all in order? I never can remember." Basil smiled appreciatively as he glanced over the myriad of different colored phones.

"Just call Basil." Steed said tightly before turning to Mother who was now watching him closely.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice still tight and his hand still in his pocket, wrapped around the gun there.

"Rhonda overheard some people talking. They've discovered Tara's real identity...Now Steed, just wait. You can't just go rushing in there. Rhonda is trying to find a way to get to her and warn her. In the meantime, we will be getting ready to invade." Mother tried to placate him.

"How in hell did they discover her identity?! They will kill her you know!"

"Your conversation with Broadneck was over heard by someone named Marcus. They put two and two together."

"What conversation with Broadneck? I haven't spoken to him since we found Mirabelle."

"WHAT?! BASIL! GIVE ME THAT PHONE!" Mother bellowed once again, his face turning red with suppressed rage. Basil nervously handed the phone to Mother.

"Grandma? Mother here. We have a very serious problem. Broadneck may be involved and passing information. We need to stop him as well. Yes..yes..Plan S is still in effect. We may need to contact Scotland Yard." Mother hung up the phone and looked back at Steed.

"This is whole mess is getting messier then ever. We can't wait another minute. Basil, contact every agent in the building. Tell them Plan S is now in effect and they are to be fully armed and ready to go on my word in the next ten minutes. Also tell them that Broadneck is now classified as minus one. He is to be captured and detained. Send Kepler to guard Broadneck's daughter and Trout to guard Broadneck's wife. Can you keep all that straight?"

"Yes sir." Basil said, his whole demeanor much more professional then Mother or Steed had ever seen it. Basil was slow, but the seriousness of the situation had caught up to him. He didn't quite know what was going on, but he certainly had caught on to the fact that Miss King was in great danger. Without another word, he left to follow his orders.

"I'm going after her." Steed said without preamble as he turned to follow Basil out the door.

"Be careful and bring back Rhonda with you too."


	15. Chapter 15

Tara stayed in her room, waiting as patiently as she could for the voices down stairs to fade away. When she heard the kitchen door slam shut, she went over to the window and peered cautiously through it. Much to her relief everyone, including Mrs. Roberts now, walked away from the house and over to the barn. Whipman and his driver got into the limousine and headed towards the school. As soon as she felt they were far enough away, Tara headed downstairs, still taking every precaution just in case they had left someone in the house with her.

Once she was in the living room, Tara felt a little safer. She glanced around, looking for anything to catch her eye and was amazed to see it right off. A notebook laying haphazardly on a chair in front of a desk. Picking it up, she started riffling through the pages. They were all filled with names, dates, and descriptions. The date at the top of the first page was 1967. Quickly she thumbed through the pages, looking for Mirabelle's name. She finally located it about three quarters of the way through and started to feel sick when she read the description.

**Lovely girl, dark brown hair with blue eyes. Healthy. Father states family is of good stock. All infants born in past twenty years healthy and of good weight. Good intelligence. Most family members carry high positions. Mother is a research scientist. Father is a government agent.**

**Father agrees to make arrangements for daughter's move to farm. Price: Information on agencies movements. Cost: Twenty million pounds, half paid upon delivery of girl. Balance paid upon delivery of healthy, viable infant.**

**Miss Broadneck is being let to Mr. James Winters. He desires a boy that looks like him. Wife refuses to have children. Payment: Blue prints for proven missile guidance, to be sold to Russia for one hundred million pounds.**

At the bottom of the page, Tara's eyes filled with tears as she read a final foot note.

**Infant born. Girl. Deformed arm. Neck snapped at birth.**

Quickly and angrily she wiped the tears from her eyes. This was no time to fall apart. Resolving again to keep herself together, she pulled the camera from her pocket and took snaps of several pages. Satisfied she had enough, she put the camera back into her pocket and took a cursory look at the last written page. To her horror, she saw the name she had given to Mr. And Mrs. Roberts, but the last name _Steed_ had been crossed out and her real name _King_ had been written above it.

Dropping the book back on the chair and ran to the kitchen. She peered out of the window and was relieved to see the area deserted, but she was concerned too. If they knew who she was, then they knew why she was there. So why did they leave her alone? And what was this about Broadneck? It was bad enough to find a traitor amongst one of her own, but to know what he had done to his own daughter was unfathomable. What on earth could have been his motive? Was there any chance for her own escape now? Would she be able to get a message to Steed about Broadneck? Would they kill her before she could get anywhere. Either way, the Ministry was sure to move in. But would it be too late? Surely they were planning on changing locations now that they knew who she was.

Tara was torn. If she left and was miraculously able to make her escape and get back to London alive, they would still have time to leave, and either take the girls with them, or kill them. If she was to be killed, and that was the most likely scenario, well then she would be dead without being able to give the Ministry the information they needed and again, they would be gone and the girls would either be dead or missing with them. This was a no win situation. The only thing she could think of to do was to get as many of the girls as she could out of there and as quickly as possible. Making her decision, Tara opened the door and looked around. The coast was clear and it was just now dusk. The darkness of the forest would give the girls at least a tiny chance of escape. If she could get to them. Hesitating just one more second to be sure no one was around, Tara started to take a step outside and then froze when she heard a voice directly behind her.

"Surely you don't wish to leave so soon Miss King. The party is just beginning."

Tara turned quickly around to see the large man with the whip standing behind her, a wide grin on his face that widened even further as he lifted his hand. She had no time to move as he brought it down hard, hitting her in the head with the butt end of the whip. The last thing she heard was his laugh as she lost consciousness.


End file.
